EDITORIAL: 'Be nice' advice weak substitute for real training

The disturbing incident involving an Evansville police officer and a bicycle rider reminds us that as recently as two years ago, the city police department under Chief Brad Hill was using diversity training. That training under the guidance of a consulting firm, Michael Woodard and Associates, was designed to improve relations between the department and the city's minority residents. As a result, the department laid out "Action Steps" that would be used to improve relations. Those steps included educating city residents about traffic stops, sending police officers to community events, and the creation of a diversity council to oversee actions steps. That came after a party at Scottish Rite, where police dispersed a crowd with pepper spray and pepper ball guns.

Fast forward to this past week when an incident involving a police officer, Jason Clegg, and the bicyclist George Madison turned ugly. The officer and his partner pulled Madison over after he went through a stop sign without stopping and then made a hand gesture to the officers. Madison, a firefighter and youth minister, who says he knows many officers, said he was waving to the officers. They said they thought he made some other kind of gesture. Madison ended up handcuffed, on the ground. Before that, he said, he tried to use his telephone — a clear mistake — and he said one of the officers became angry, threatening to use his stun gun.

Madison is an African-American, but neither he nor anyone else has said the incident was racially motivated. Still, the question of the police department and training programs was raised by Evansville City Council President Connie Robinson and other council members at a meeting Wednesday. And as it turned out, the department is no longer offering formal diversity training such as that recommended by Woodard and Associates, said Police Chief Billy Bolin, who succeeded Brad Hill when the city administration changed following the last city election.

Bolin said diversity training has not been given in about 18 months. In a news story by Courier & Press staff writer John Martin, Bolin said he didn't think it's as much a need for diversity training as for basic courtesy. He said they have a departmental newsletter where he has addressed diversity issues. He said he has talked to the officers about how he expects things to be handled, how he expects them to treat people.

As for the Madison case, he filed a complaint against Clegg, calling him angry, aggressive, intimidating and unprofessional. The department cleared Clegg and said Madison's complaint was "non-sustained."

We applaud Bolin for encouraging his officers treat people with common courtesy. His effort is well-intentioned, and should reach most officers. Still, it gives us pause as a substitute for formal diversity training.